Famed conductor Gustavo Dudamel has accused Oscar-nominated actor Timothée Chalamet of "ignorance" following the star's assertion that "no one cares" about opera and ballet.
Speaking on Tuesday night at an event to unveil the programming for his inaugural season as the New York Philharmonic's music director, Dudamel stated: "Sadly sometimes it’s a little bit of ignorance but, look, that is why we have to open more spaces for people to connect with classical music."
His remarks, delivered from the stage of Lincoln Center's David Geffen Hall to an audience of donors, musicians, board members, community leaders, and journalists, were met with loud applause.
Chalamet, 30, made the controversial comments during a February town hall discussion with fellow actor Matthew McConaughey at the University of Texas at Austin. The conversation explored whether shortened audience attention spans were influencing studio decisions regarding theatrical film content.
"I admire people, and I’ve done it myself, to go on a talk show and go: Hey, we’ve got to keep movie theaters alive. We got to keep this genre alive,’" Chalamet said.
"And another part of me feels like if people want to see it, like Barbie, like Oppenheimer, they’re going to go see it and go out of their way to be loud and proud about it. And I don’t want to be working in ballet or opera or things where it's like where it’s like, ‘Hey! Keep this thing alive,’ even though no one cares about this anymore. All respect to the ballet and opera people out there. I just lost 14 cents in viewership."
Chalamet, who received his third Academy Award nomination for Marty Supreme, faced an online backlash from various arts organisations following his remarks. Dudamel countered, "Everybody has the right to say, but you have to do things with knowledge, with facts. I think we have to say to the young generation, the opposite. It’s very funny. Cinema is a result of opera, of music, of all of these kind of things."
Matías Tarnopolsky, the New York Philharmonic CEO, who was seated alongside Dudamel, extended a public invitation to the actor. "He can sit with me anytime," Tarnopolsky offered. "I’ll give him a free ticket and he’s invited to come and hear the New York Philharmonic."
Dudamel, 45, is one of the world's most celebrated conductors. He is set to depart the Los Angeles Philharmonic this summer after 17 seasons to assume his new role as music director of the New York orchestra. At one point, Dudamel playfully feigned not knowing Chalamet, asking: "Which is the name of that?" before pausing as the audience laughed.
He concluded by emphasising the enduring power of music: "That way of thinking has to end. Music is reborn all the time and it brings us the values of empathy through the beauty of what it is. So this is the reality of music. This is the real dimension of music and we need that more for our young people."
